Electronic Pioneer Gary Numan Brings Darkness to The Piece Hall in Halifax [Photos]

There can be very few artists like Gary Numan who, after over half a decade in the industry, can be as influential now as they were when they first burst onto the scene. Inspiring generations of goths, electronic fans, industrial fans, and metalheads, Numan was, and judging by his performance at The Piece Hall in Halifax, still held in such high regard as a pioneer of those scenes.

His eyeliner-wearing followers turn out in force for his return to Yorkshire and, despite it being a sunny evening in July, by the time Numan takes to the stage and lurches into opener “Halo,” there is something of an eerie mist pouring over the stage. Flanked by two ghoulish-looking bandmates, the electronic pioneer smirks from under his familiar mop of black hair as he throws himself about the stage.

Through the likes of “Jagged,” “Metal” and hit single “Cars,” the Gary Numan setlist is as much ’80s new wave and goth as it is Nine Inch Nails industrial grind, and, as he peppers his set with material from all generations of his career, it is easy to see why his reach is so widespread across the alternative music scene.

Seeing artists like Gary Numan performing live, it is as much about the mood and the atmosphere as it is about the songs. Performing in a mid-Summer heatwave, in an outdoor setting like Piece Hall, does run the risk of the whole thing losing its appeal, but when you are the kind of seasoned, consummate professional that Gary Numan is, even a late July heatwave can’t stop you from putting in a performance that ticks all of the boxes.

Gary Numan Setlist:

1. Halo
2. M.E.
3. I Am Dust
4. Me! I Disconnect From You (Tubeway Army song)
5. Remind Me to Smile
6. Jagged
7. Mercy
8. Metal
9. When the World Comes Apart
10. Down in the Park (Tubeway Army song)
11. Ghost Nation
12. Cars
13. Rip
14. The Chosen
15. My Name Is Ruin
16. I Die: You Die
17. Love Hurt Bleed
18. Are ‘Friends’ Electric? (Tubeway Army song)